1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a retractable needle shield to be coupled to a conventional dose metering syringe to hide a hypodermic needle from view of a patient to whom an injection is to be administered so as to minimize the anxiety that will be experienced by the patient.
2. Background Art
A dose metering syringe is a commercially available device by which a precise volume of a rare and/or expensive medication or pharmaceutical that is stored in a medication cartridge can be delivered to a patient via a hypodermic needle. Dose metering syringes are often used to administer an injection to a child. For example, in the case where the medication to be delivered is a growth hormone, an injection is typically administered twice a week for approximately two years. As a consequence of the frequency of the injections, the child may become traumatized whenever he sees a hypodermic needle in advance of the needle strike. Such trauma may, over time, subject the child to increased anxiety and a constant fear of all syringes and the hypodermic needles associated therewith.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to shield the hypodermic needle from view of a patient (e.g. a child) so as to reduce the trauma and anxiety that will be experienced by the patient when the dose metering syringe is located at the targeted injection site. However, the foregoing must be accomplished while requiring that only a few or no modifications be made to the syringe. Moreover, the needle shield should be compatible with the hypodermic needles of different manufacturers. In this same regard, one must be able to quickly and easily install the shield on the dose metering syringe as well as remove the shield for cleaning and sterilization. Lastly, the needle must be unshielded to permit the injection to be administered and automatically reshielded at the conclusion of the injection so as to permit a safe handling of the shield while avoiding the possibility of an accidental needle strike.